Inglesham
Encyclopedia
Inglesham is a village
and civil parish in the borough of Swindon
, Wiltshire
. The village is just off the A361 road
about 1 miles (1.6 km) south-west of Lechlade
in Gloucestershire
. Most of the population lives in the hamlet of Upper Inglesham, which is on the main road about 1.3 miles (2 km) south of the village.
The parish forms the extreme north-east corner of the Borough of Swindon and County of Wiltshire and is bounded to the west and north by the River Thames
, (which also forms the county boundary with Gloucestershire) and to the east by the county boundary with Oxfordshire
(Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
), formed partly by the River Cole
.
As the parish's population is small it has a parish meeting
instead of a parish council.
was restored
in 1888–89 and is listed Grade I. It is now redundant
and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust
.
In the churchyard is a Grade II* listed 15th century stone cross. The base and column survive but the cross itself has been lost.
Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries
the Cistercian Beaulieu Abbey
held the manor
and benefice
.
of Berkshire
. It was transferred to Wiltshire by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
.
Church Farmhouse is a former watermill
that was rebuilt in the 17th century. It is listed Grade II*. Several other houses in the parish are listed Grade II, as are the late 18th century Halfpenny Bridge that carries the A361 across the Thames and a Cotswold stone
rubble
barn at College Farm built in about 1800.
Inglesham lock is at the eastern end of the Thames and Severn Canal
and the Cotswold Canals Trust is currently raising funds to restore its structure and part of the canal.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the borough of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. The village is just off the A361 road
A361 road
The A361 is a major road in England and at is the longest 3 digit A road in the UK. It runs south from Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast to Barnstaple, turning south-east to Tiverton then, after a break , north east from Taunton in Somerset through Street and Glastonbury, past Frome and then...
about 1 miles (1.6 km) south-west of Lechlade
Lechlade
Lechlade, or Lechlade-on-Thames, is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable. The town is named after the River Leach that joins the Thames near here....
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. Most of the population lives in the hamlet of Upper Inglesham, which is on the main road about 1.3 miles (2 km) south of the village.
The parish forms the extreme north-east corner of the Borough of Swindon and County of Wiltshire and is bounded to the west and north by the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, (which also forms the county boundary with Gloucestershire) and to the east by the county boundary with Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
(Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
until the 1974 boundary changes
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
), formed partly by the River Cole
River Cole, Wiltshire
The River Cole is a tributary of the River Thames in England which flows through Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, where it forms part of the border between the two counties....
.
As the parish's population is small it has a parish meeting
Parish meeting
A parish meeting, in England, is a meeting to which all the electors in a civil parish are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of the parish council itself, with statutory powers, and electing a...
instead of a parish council.
Parish church
The 13th century Church of England parish church of St. John the BaptistSt John the Baptist Church, Inglesham
St John the Baptist Church in Inglesham, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, has Anglo-Saxon origins but most of the current structure was built around 1205. Much of the church has not changed since the medieval era. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is now...
was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1888–89 and is listed Grade I. It is now redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
.
In the churchyard is a Grade II* listed 15th century stone cross. The base and column survive but the cross itself has been lost.
Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the Cistercian Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey located in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203-1204 by King John and peopled by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order...
held the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
and benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
.
Secular history
Until 1844 Inglesham was a detached partEnclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It was transferred to Wiltshire by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....
.
Church Farmhouse is a former watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
that was rebuilt in the 17th century. It is listed Grade II*. Several other houses in the parish are listed Grade II, as are the late 18th century Halfpenny Bridge that carries the A361 across the Thames and a Cotswold stone
Cotswold stone
Cotswold stone is a yellow oolitic limestone quarried in many places in the Cotswold Hills in the south midlands of England. When weathered, the colour of buildings made or faced with this stone is often described as 'honey' or 'golden'....
rubble
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
barn at College Farm built in about 1800.
Inglesham lock is at the eastern end of the Thames and Severn Canal
Thames and Severn Canal
The Thames and Severn Canal is a canal in Gloucestershire in the south of England, which was completed in 1789. It was conceived as part of a canal route from Bristol to London. At its eastern end, it connects to the River Thames at Inglesham Lock near Lechlade, while at its western end, it...
and the Cotswold Canals Trust is currently raising funds to restore its structure and part of the canal.